Apoyos públicos a los combustibles fósiles en cuatro países latinoamericanos en el contexto de COVID-19

The document identifies a regional trend where Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico have used the COVID-19 economic recovery as a justification to expand fossil fuel extraction and subsidies, often framing natural gas as a 'bridge fuel' or citing 'energy sovereignty'. This approach creates a 'carbon lock-in' that contradicts their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and increases the risk of stranded assets. The report highlights the central role of state-owned enterprises (such as PEMEX, YPF, and Petrobras) in maintaining this fossil-fuel dependency and notes a general absence of concrete just transition plans for affected workers and communities.

• There is a systemic contradiction in Latin America where fossil fuels remain central to post-pandemic economic recovery policies despite global narratives of energy transition.
• Governments in the four studied countries prioritize 'energy sovereignty' over climate mitigation to justify the expansion of fossil fuel production and use.
• Natural gas is widely promoted as a 'bridge fuel' to facilitate transition, which the report argues increases the risk of technological lock-in and the creation of stranded assets.
• State-owned enterprises are primary vehicles for maintaining fossil fuel production, receiving significant public support and protection during the pandemic.
• In Mexico, the government provided significant fiscal stimuli to PEMEX and excluded the hydrocarbon sector from austerity policies intended to address the health crisis.
• Argentina's energy policy focuses on expanding the extractive frontier through fracking and offshore activities, with specific funding for YPF derived from a tax on large fortunes.
• Brazil is increasing its reliance on natural gas and domestic coal for electricity generation, partly as a response to droughts affecting hydroelectric power.
• Colombia's climate leadership is contradicted by its focus on hydrocarbon self-sufficiency, including offshore production and fracking pilots, as well as the promotion of 'blue hydrogen'.

APA

Aráujo, J. V., Arond, E., Cabré, M. M., Velázquez, G., Fonseca, R., & Di Paola, M. M. (2021). Apoyos públicos a los combustibles fósiles en cuatro países latinoamericanos en el contexto de COVID-19. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vegaaraujo-et-al-2021.pdf

Chicago

Aráujo, José Vega, Elisa Arond, Miquel Muñoz Cabré, Gabriela Velázquez, Rafael Fonseca, and María Marta Di Paola. Apoyos públicos a los combustibles fósiles en cuatro países latinoamericanos en el contexto de COVID-19. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vegaaraujo-et-al-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aráujo |first1=José Vega |last2=Arond |first2=Elisa |last3=Cabré |first3=Miquel Muñoz |last4=Velázquez |first4=Gabriela |last5=Fonseca |first5=Rafael |last6=Di Paola |first6=María Marta |title=Apoyos públicos a los combustibles fósiles en cuatro países latinoamericanos en el contexto de COVID-19 |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vegaaraujo-et-al-2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arujo2021apoyos, author = {Aráujo, José Vega and Arond, Elisa and Cabré, Miquel Muñoz and Velázquez, Gabriela and Fonseca, Rafael and Di Paola, María Marta}, title = {{Apoyos públicos a los combustibles fósiles en cuatro países latinoamericanos en el contexto de COVID-19}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/vegaaraujo-et-al-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }